


Lost Light

by UnHolyMuffin



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Colorful Language, Small mention of blood, mentions of physical violence, someone gets shot
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-08-22
Packaged: 2019-04-20 21:16:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 11,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14269704
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UnHolyMuffin/pseuds/UnHolyMuffin
Summary: This is the story of how Amara lost her light at the start of the Red War in Destiny 2 and the proceeding events.





	1. The Fall

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not sure how long this is going to be, please don't expect a regular posting schedule as I am still writing.  
> Amara is my personal OC, come visit me @ amara-the-average-hunter.tumblr.com  
> Don't be afraid to leave me comments or anything, don't be shy, I don't bite!  
> Forgive me if anything looks weird, I'm still new to AO3.
> 
> Thanks for Reading <3

~Amara was in new scouting territory, European Dead Zone: Northern sector. It was fresh territory to her, out of the way of the familiar Cosmodrome. This was where she lost her light. She remembers exactly where she was and what she was doing. She was with a friend, a fellow hunter that she considered a permanent part of her fire team, and a permanent part of her life. Her name was Hannah. She was an Awoken, one of the most beautiful Awoken Amara had ever seen. She had these glowing, sea green eyes and dark purple hair that wasn’t far off from her purple skin tone. The two were just scouting around what is now a Cabal base, the Sunken Isles. Everything was oddly quiet, no Fallen were around, which was rare. It was cloudy, trying to rain, you could hear thunder in the distance. They had tried getting a hold of Cayde on the comms but kept losing connection. ~

The huntresses were up on the natural ledge that hung over a shallow swap where the tunnel connecting Firebase Hades and the Isles is now located. There was no tunnel there at this time though. The women were laying on their stomachs, Amara had a sniper in her hands and Hannah was spotting. 

“There’s been nothing. Not even a single dreg.” Amara said, baffled.  
“Yup. Looks like Cayde wasted our time on this one.” Hannah agreed with a chuckle. “How long have we been here?”  
“Too fucking long.” Amara checked the screen on her arm, “Four hours.”  
“Ugh. What do you want to do for dinner tonight?” Hannah asked as she sat up and stretched.  
“Not sure, Cayde said something about getting drinks. Oh, speaking of Six. Try the comms again, see if we can tell him this is a bust.” Amara suggested. 

She continued watching as Hannah tried to reach Cayde with her ghost, Cav.  
“Nothing but static, ‘mara.” Hannah concluded with a shake of her head.  
“What is up with that? It’s been like this all day…” Amara said softly, trying to think of possible reasons. Hannah just shrugged.  
“Comms were fine yesterday…maybe its just the weather.” Both huntresses looked up at the darkened sky. It was almost midday but gray clouds hung over the area and thunder rumbled every now and then.

“Hey, Iris? Check the emergency comm lines, see if they’re up.” Amara asked her ghost. He appeared and floated silently for a moment.  
[Nothing. Emergency comm lines are alway supposed to be open and working. It’s protocol. Something must be wrong with the satellites.]  
Amara’s stomach flips with sudden worry, why would the satellites be out? The women looked at each other briefly, concern in their eyes. 

There was a sudden roaring, ships flying in the air above the clouds, but the clouds were too thick to see anything. “What the hell…?” The two said in almost unison, they looked at each other and then back up. Both expressions of worry turned to fear. Their hearts started pounding and Hannah’s ghost, Cav, appeared next to her,  
[I’m picking up at least 10 Cabal ships, numerous heat signals from each. They…seem to be jamming our communications…] both women stiffened at the information. An Attack? After a moment they quickly changed to a combat state of mind, pushing the fear away. 

Amara quickly put her sniper away, readying for close combat. Once the first few Cabal ships appeared from the sky the two women ducked and ran over to the cover of a large rock, watching out from opposite sides. Each of the five ships unloaded about 20 Cabal in the water about half a mile out,  
“Fucking shit…” Hannah spat out. Suddenly another ship appeared, it was huge and so loud the women had to cover their ears, a command ship.  
“What the hell is going on…” Amara whispered once the ship landed, voice straining under mounting worry. 

Surprising the hunters, a ship landed in the water below them. It happened so fast that the two barely had time to make a plan of escape. When the Cabal jumped from the ship, a large, ornamented Centurion led the group up to the ramp of the ledge where the two women were hiding. They seemed to be discussing the area, like they had some sort of plan to change it. 

Amara watched them move forward, thankfully they hadn’t been spotted yet.  
“We need to move, now.” Hannah whispered to Amara, looking around frantically, trying to find a way out.  
“There. The wall. Climb up.” Amara whispered, pointing to the rock wall directly in front of them. Hannah looked at her incredulously, “What other choice do we have?!” Amara replied to the silent question, “Go, now.” She ordered. They both darted out from the rock straight for the wall and started climbing.

The women almost made it to the top, then without warning, Amara was shot in the back right under her shoulder. She grunted in pain and lost her balance for a moment. She put her forehead on the rock in front of her, trying to keep from crying out. Their ghosts quickly moved to hover close to them so as not to get shot. Hannah stopped,  
“Amara! Are you okay?!” She quickly looked over her shoulder, “Shit we got company, lots of company.” There were at least 10 Cabal looking up at the hunters, guns pointed.  
“Keep going ‘mara, keep going, you’re almost—“

Hannah was cut short by a shot hitting her leg, directly behind her knee, she yelled in pain and lost her balance, falling down 15 feet to the ground.  
“Hannah!!” Amara called out. She didn’t move once she hit the ground, “Shit!” The Cabal were...laughing?  
'Are they toying with us?'  
Amara quickly had a renewed hatred for the disgusting aliens. 

Thats when Amara got shot again, the same spot where Hannah just got hit. Crying out in pain, she lost her footing and landed right next to Hannah on the ground. The fall didn’t knock her out, surprisingly. She made sure Iris was out of the way, assuring him through their cerebral link that she was fine. She groaned as she tried to move.  
“Han..nah..” she whispered, not able to use her full voice as the fall knocked the air out of her.  
'We were so fucking close to the top, dammit!'

The Cabal were about 30 feet away, still laughing at the two hunters. The huge Centurion at the back seemed to be calling the shots. Amara ignored them and moved as quickly as she could to an upright position, ‘Hannah, move, please, you gotta move’ she started to shake her as best she could, it worked. 

Hannah grunts as she moves to sit up, Amara glances at the group of Cabal, they were advancing.  
“Hannah, shit, we have to move…” She whispers to her partner. What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. 

Hannah’s ghost was hovering above the two hunters, he left cover to try to heal Hannah…but he was too slow. The sound of the gunshot was followed by the ghost landing on the ground between the two women. There was a hole right through his now dark eye. Both women were frozen, staring wide eyed at the dead ghost on the ground. 

A fragmented sob left Hannah’s lips after a moment and she picked up and held the shell in her hands. Amara’s hand moved to Hannah’s shoulder, trying to comfort her. At her touch she felt Hannah’s Arc energy begin to climb, the air was filled with static and she was suddenly covered in sparks, blade drawn. 

Hannah was gone before Amara could say anything,  
“Hannah, NO!” She yelled after her, somehow getting on her feet, hand still outstretched. 

Four Cabal hit the ground with loud thuds before, suddenly, Hannah wasn’t covered in sparks anymore. It had just… stopped. Hannah’s face turned from confusion to fear as she was surrounded by Cabal with nothing but a knife. 

Iris suddenly made strange mechanical noises next to Amara, causing her head to turn, [‘Mara…something’s…wrong..] His voice was distorted and weak, Amara looked down in time to see her light leave her body. A white mist that just…disappeared into thin air.  
‘No..no…what’s happening…’ 

Her legs gave out and she hit the ground on all fours, she couldn’t even muster a cry of pain as she fell on her hurt knee. She felt so heavy and…cold. Iris landed next to her, his eye flickering. She weakly grabbed him, lowering her hood and putting him in there, hiding him. She looked over and saw Hannah on the ground as well, still surrounded. She wasn’t moving. 

The group of Cabal parted and the Centurion walked forward, his demeanor smug. He lowered his gun and put one round in the woman’s abdomen. ‘No…’ Amara reached out to her, tears springing into her wide eyes, “Han..nah…” 

She watched blood begin to leak through her chest piece. The group of Cabal laughed again and the Centurion walked forward towards Amara,  
“Fuck…ing…Bas…tard…” she said as loudly as she could as her body fully collapsed on the ground. The Centurion paused, leaning down over her to say something in a language she didn't understand before it kicked her towards the rock wall behind her. Amara felt only an instant of pain when her head hit the rock, but everything soon faded into blackness.


	2. Falling Apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Picking up where we left off.

When she awoke, all she could think of was Hannah. Looking over to where she last saw her, Amara noticed she hadn’t moved, though the sun had moved quite a bit in the sky. The huntress attempted to move, crying out in pain instead. Her entire body ached from her wounds. There was a gash in her side from the Centurion’s armored foot and blood on her face from a gash on her head.

She slowly moved to a sitting position, wincing with each small movement. She checked to make sure Iris was still in her hood, thankful that he still was. ‘I have to get to her…’ 

Amara crawled over to Hannah, it seemed to take ages. Once close enough she saw the blood, so much blood. Tears stung her eyes again and she couldn’t stop them from falling. 

“No…no, no….Hannah? Hannah- fuck! Hannah, please say something!” She gently moved Hannah’s head so it’s cradled in her lap, her eyes were closed. She was so…still. 

“God dammit Hannah, wake up! Don’t leave me, no, no, no…please…Han…nah.” Amara’s voice stopped working and a broken sob left her lips. She leaned over her body, holding her as close as she could. 

The huntress held her for a long time. Eventually, she sat up again and just smoothed her purple hair back and gently caressed her face. The tears were still running down Amara’s cheeks, she felt so empty, so cold…so alone. Her light was gone. Her best friend was gone, her secret love. 

“Dammit…why did I never tell you how I felt…?” Amara said hoarsely. Regret filled her, along with every happy memory they ever shared. Hannah had been there since the very beginning, she had admired and looked up to her for almost a year now. Her feelings for her had only solidified since they met, and now she was gone.

Everything was falling apart around her, she didn’t even know if her ghost was coming back…   
‘I have to move her…body…but I can’t…I can’t move…’   
Almost as if on cue, she heard a quiet and distorted beeping noise coming from her hood, she stopped and felt her hood lighten as Iris appeared next to her. 

[Amara…] his voice was warped and sounded about as bad as Amara looked. 

“Iris…” she croaked in response, fresh tears sprung into her eyes, “What happened…?” She questioned him desperately. His eye flickered and he moved to float in front of her, he looked down at Hannah and slowly back up at his Guardian. 

[I’m so sorry ‘mara…] he whispered, his voice breaking. He moved to nudge Amara on her cheek, though he seemed to be having trouble keeping afloat himself. 

“What do we do, Iris?” The huntress whispered to him, tears streaming down her face as she slowly lowered Hannah’s head onto the ground. He hovered in front of her again, 

[We have to get back to the city, we are too vulnerable out here alone…] his voice broke with the weight of not only Amara’s loss, but his own. He paused before continuing. 

[From what I can tell, the Cabal have somehow managed to take control of our light and has probably cut it off from everyone.] Amara looked up at him in shock.  
[I don’t know how they did it, but I can’t sense anything.] He answered her silent question.   
[I can’t resurrect you ‘mara, but I can heal you. Okay?] 

She nodded silently as Iris moved back, she felt her wounds healing as he did his work. 

After a moment he returned to her side, she could move again, but her body was still sore. She carefully stretched, figuring out how much she could do.   
[Better?] Iris asked, sounding hopeful.   
“Yes. Much. Thank you Iris.” The huntress paused. 

“I…can’t leave her here…I have to move her…” She said quietly, looking down at her friend. Iris agreed,   
[Do you want to lay her to rest on that mountain where you two spent most of your time? It’s up high enough that no one will bother her.] He suggested quietly, giving her a moment to think. 

“Yeah, she would like that…” Amara whispered, her voice cracking.   
[Okay. Your ship is still online so we can fly her there, does that sound okay?] He asks gently. Amara silently nodded. Iris summons her ship and within seconds it approaches and hovers above them. 

Amara walks over to where Cav landed next to Hannah and puts his shell into her hood, she wanted to take him so he could be with his Guardian. 

She then removes her own cloak and lays it down on the ground next to Hannah. She gently undoes the fasteners on her partners cloak and lifts Hannah on top of hers, not wanting her to rest with a bloodstained cloak. Amara fastens the dirty one to her own armor and her clean cape to Hannah’s. Gingerly, she lifts up the huntress and has Iris transmat them into her ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come visit me @ amara-the-average-hunter.tumblr.com
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Purple Flowers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made an oops. With how I wrote the previous chapter, I forgot I had to split it up, SO. Here it is.

Amara’s ship hovered above a clearing near the top of a small mountain. It wasn’t capped in snow like the mountains to the north were. This one was covered in lush vegetation and dark purple flowers, you could see in every direction for miles. 

It housed a small, private ‘base’ that Amara and Hannah had spent a lot of their time in. It was a few hours from dusk and the sky in the direction of the tower was exceptionally dark, but the sun still cast orange and pink rays against the clouded sky. Amara was transmatted down to the edge of the clearing, carrying Hannah’s body. There were dried tear streaks down her cheeks and her eyes were reddened and puffy. 

She looked around for a proper spot to lay Hannah. There was a patch of tall flowers nearby that she decided would work. The huntress gently laid her friend among the growth, smoothing her hair and straightening out her cloak. The flowers practically covered the huntress, assuring she wouldn’t be seen easily. Amara placed Hannah’s hands on her stomach, putting her prized knife in her right. She took Cav out of her hood and placed him on the grass next to Hannah’s shoulder. She sat down next to her partner, 

“The flowers match your hair, Hannah…I hope this is okay...” as her voice cracked Iris appeared next to her,  
[She looks beautiful Amara. This is perfect.] They were silent for a while. Just looking at her still body. 

Amara finally stood up, tears streaming down her face. She walked away towards her ship but immediately turned back around, torn. Her hand outstretched towards Hannah’s body.  
“Iris, how the hell am I supposed to...what the hell am I supposed to do now!?” Her hands went up to her face, covering her eyes. She collapsed onto the ground, sobbing. 

Iris quickly floated to her, hovering in front of her face. He gently bumped into the hands covering her eyes.  
[Hey, Amara. Listen to me. Listen.] He waited til she removed her hands, eyes still tightly shut,  
[I know this is hard right now. But Hannah would want you to fight, to go on without her. She always pushed you to fight harder, to be the best Guardian you could be. Right?] Amara nodded after a moment, finally looking up at him.  
[What would she tell you when times got tough or you were stuck in a bad situation?] 

Amara wiped the tears from her face and cleared her throat,  
“She would say ‘Look at your Cloak, Remember what it’s for.’” Iris bobbed with agreement,  
[Yes she would. So fight for her, Amara.] The huntress looked down at the bloodstained cloak she was wearing. She grabbed the fabric and pulled it around to her lap staring at it for a moment. Her hands clenched the it tightly as she spoke,  
“I will fight for her.” 

Amara resolved at that moment to killed every damned Cabal she ever came across, starting with the one that killed Hannah. But first, she needed to figure out what was going on. Right now, she needed to be a Guardian. Amara rose to her feet and walked over to where Hannah lay and knelt down to kiss her forehead. Looking at her one last time. “I’m going to make you proud Hannah.” She whispered. 

 

"What the status on the city, Iris?” Amara asked as she appeared in her ship.  
[It’s pretty bad as far as I can tell. Only some of the emergency comm lines are working but I’m pretty sure what we saw in the Sunken Isles is only a very small piece of it. The tower has been attacked and they did something to the Traveler. That’s all I can really piece from it.] Amara nodded, face covered in fear that she didn’t think she had the willpower to face. She took a deep breath.  
“Then let’s go see for ourselves, shall we?”

 

[Guardian ship, 2723, coming into tower airspace, permission to land?] Iris sent the message for the fifth time as he and Amara exchanged worried glances. The ship broke through the clouds that had blocked their view of the tower and Amara’s jaw dropped at the scene before her.

The tower had been bombed and there were huge fires spreading throughout the city. And the Traveler...it was...caged?  
“What the hell did those Cabal bastards do...?” Her voice was quiet with shock.  
“How the...” her voice trailed off, shock turning into anger.  
“Find somewhere to drop me, Iris. The Vanguard are gonna need my help.”


	4. The City

The city was hazy, thick smoke covering the ground and lingering in the air like fog. Fire spreading wildly and the sound of gunshots echoed off every building left standing. 

Amara ran along the rooftops for stealth since the Void she would normally hide in was gone. She felt so vulnerable without her light, even though she had her weapons to back her up. Her tears had evaporated in the heat of the fires to the anger and need for revenge that now kept her going. 

She ran and jumped from rooftop to rooftop, taking breaks to rest every now and then. Her now mortal body not as well suited for Guardian work, it frustrated her even further that she was not as agile and quick as she normally was. She must have ran for at least an hour before finding what she was looking for.

Finally she reached the street where gunshots were coming from. She peeked over the edge to survey, seeing a group of maybe 10 Guardians holding a line against the Cabal. More Guardians were hidden in the shadow of the adjacent building, they were escorting civilians to safety. Amara threw her rifle over her shoulder, hoisting herself up onto the ledge to descend the building as Iris stopped her, 

[‘Mara! Please don’t!…I can’t—] She looked back at the Ghost and stopped, his shell spinning weakly. She retreated back to the roof and took the Ghost into her hands and held him close, her heart broke to see him like this, but, she managed a bit of confidence,

“Listen Bud. I know the risks. I know I have to be extra careful. I know I could die my final death.” Her breath hitched and a lump rose in her throat,  
“But I can not and will not just sit up here, hiding, while other Guardians fight to protect civilians…I am….more, than just my light. I can fight without it.”

[I know you can Amara, I’m very confident that you can. But it still worries me. I don’t know what I would do if I lost my Guardian.]

“You won’t.” The huntress placed a small kiss on the top of his shell and vaulted over the edge of roof. While carefully climbing down the side of the building she silently thanked Hannah for teaching her how to properly climb. Her memory is interrupted by the Guardians yelling to her as she reached the bottom. 

When landing she looked to them as they frantically signaled another wave of incoming Cabal, she sprinted over to them and slid into cover as gunshots began ringing out. She crouched over to the adjacent building under cover and looked at the Guardians around her, it was a mangled looking group for sure. Capes, robes, and marks were torn and most helmets had dents in them and every single one of them were filthy from the ash and dirt. Amara looked no better as she was bruised and covered in dried blood. 

An Awoken Warlock made his way over to her,  
“Are you hurt, Hunter?” He asked, eyeing the blood on her abdomen and cloak.  
“No. I’m fine. What do you guys need here? Is there any way I can help?” She asked him as he looked around the area.  
“We are trying to get these civilians out of the city, do you still have a ship?” He asked, hopeful.  
“Yes, my ship is still online, but where would all these civilians be going?” She asked, eyes narrowing.  
The Warlock sighs with relief, “We’ve heard news over one of the emergency lines of a farm somewhere in the EDZ that is taking in refugees,” he explains, “The only issue we were having is how the hell we were gonna get all the civilians there. Thank the Traveler you have a ship, how many can you carry?”  
“I can probably take 10 at a time, but it will be tight.”  
“As long as we get them out, it doesn’t matter how. Are you okay flying your ship in and out of the city while we are still taking heavy fire, from ground and air?”  
“I made it in here just fine, I’ll do what needs to be done.” Amara assures him with a nod. 

He jogs off to alert a Titan nearby and they start making the arrangements with Iris, giving him the location and such. Amara looks up at the Traveler, shaking her head slightly. _‘I know this isn’t the Travelers fault but if it would just do something...’_

It took multiple trips back and forth to get the civilians out of the city, Amara’s ship was running on empty and peppered with bullets as she landed for the last time in a grassy field in old Northern Europe. Everyone had been brought to safety, thanks to her. She got many hugs and thanks, accepting them the best she could. The Guardians patted her on the back and gave her words of encouragement as they left to board a bigger ship headed for the farm. 

_‘I don’t deserve all this thanks…I couldn’t even keep my best friend alive…’_

“Good job, _Guardian_.” Amara looked behind her to see a woman with dark skin and dotted markings on her face. She had a sniper strapped to her back and a poncho that could almost pass as a Hunter’s cloak.  
“Don’t look at me like that.” The woman muttered with a laugh. “I’ve already had five Hunters ask me if I was one of them. I’m not. Got it?” 

Amara quickly tried to neutralize her expression and nodded to the woman.  
“I’m Hawthorne. I’m the one who put out the information about the farm and I’m gonna need help getting it set up and running. Plus we have a whole other shipload of problems that need addressed.” 

Amara nodded in agreement, “I’ll do anything I can to help, Hawthorne.”

“Good. I’ll let you know what I need.” With that Hawthorne nodded once and jogged off to a group of people calling for her attention. 

Amara sighed loudly, stretching out her back that still hurt from the events of earlier that day. As the memory resurfaced the lump in her throat returned and her eyes stung, she did her best to shake it off. She looked around, they were surrounded by mountains covered in snow and the Shard of the Traveler stood off in the distance, hazed by clouds and lightning. Iris appeared next to her, but she suddenly couldn’t take her eyes off the Shard. 

[You did well Amara. I’m very proud of…] his mechanical voice faded as he followed her gaze,  
[Amara?] Iris asked, [‘Mara, what is it?]

“We need to go to the Shard…” she whispered quietly.

[What!?]

“It’s…calling to me…” her eyes still locked on the distance.

[Amara, it’s corrupted! The shard is corrupted, why would you want to…] his voice trailed off as he thought, his shell spinning slowly. [To get the light back?!]

Her eyes finally met his, “I don’t know. Maybe. I just know I need to get there. It’s not a…vision or anything…just this intense…feeling.” She looked back in the distance, a feeling of longing settling in her stomach. She broke from her reverie when a nearby ship’s engines powered up. 

The huntress shook her head and a thought popped in,  
“Where are the Vanguard?” A disappointed mechanical sound came from Iris,

[They were last spotted in the city right after the attack but haven’t been seen or heard from since. Over the emergency comms I heard someone mention that they maybe saw the Commander leaving the city on a jump-ship.] Amara’s eyes widened,

“He what?…They just fucking _left us here?_ ” 

 

Her eyes darkened and her hands balled into fists at the thought.  
_The Vanguard, **our leaders** , just left us here?_

“So we stay here to fight, without our light, when they didn’t even have to decency to fight along with us? Final fucking death or not….” The huntress growled, venom filling her voice. 

[I just hope they have a reason.] Iris added sharply, his feelings matching Amara’s.

“Yeah. They better hope their reason is fucking **good** enough.” She spat and turned on her heel, heading back to her ship. 

Later that evening, Amara was in her ship just outside of the farm, using it as a place to stay with the city being destroyed and all. She finally had the chance to change her bloodied and dirty armor for a clean set. She gently removed Hannah’s cloak and folded it, setting it off to the side, but she noticed something on the inside hem. 

A small pocket was practically hidden, inside was an old playing card, like the kind that Cayde normally carried with him. 

“Seven of Spades.” Amara murmured. She turned the card over in her hand, examining the back. It was black with white designs on it and a gold inlay on the numbers and patterns. She turned back to the face, running her thumb over the spades, they were slightly raised from the card and she could feel the subtle outlines. 

She never saw Hannah with this card, not that she remembers anyway. She always had the suspicion that Hannah was one of Cayde’s scouts, but she just never asked. And this card no doubt leads back to Cayde, kind of confirming that she was one. Once she found the Exo, and kicked his ass, she would ask about the card, he for sure knew something about it. 

Amara stowed the bloodied cloak in a secret compartment in her ship and placed the card inside a small pocket in her own armor.


	5. Renewal

It was a little more than a week before Amara had the chance to leave the farm to head for the Shard of the Traveler. Work with helping refugees and setting up living areas had her busy most days. 

Now she stood before a foreboding, rusted entrance into the forest that lead to the shard, and the only thing keeping her going is the pull of...something. She can’t put her finger on the feeling, and can’t understand why it almost has her in a trance as she stares into the trees shrouded in mist. 

[Are you sure about this Amara?] Iris asks, worry in his mechanical. She takes a deep breath and adjusts the grip on her rifle.

“Yeah. I think so.” And she sets off before Iris can protest any more. She walks quickly but stays aware of the sound of her footsteps, making them as quiet at possible. There’s a well worn trail through the woods, probably made by the Fallen that hold the area. 

As she treks further into darkness the trees thicken and the fog covers the ground, almost to where the huntress can’t see where she’s stepping. Her senses are heightened as she takes in all sensory information that she can. Surprising her, she suddenly steps into a clearing. 

There’s a wrecked airplane and standing yellow light bars that give the small area an eerie feeling. 

[Movement, your left, behind the wing.] Iris whispers in Amara’s hood. She sees a nearby stack of supply crates and deftly scales them to get a better view of the clearing. The huntress scans the area, looking for any other way to get out of there without shooting her gun and alerting all enemies in a mile radius. There’s Fallen covering every exit and double covering the continued path to the shard. She sighed quietly, checking her available ammo. 

_You are more than just your light, Amara. You got this._

Amara’s anxiety was almost at its breaking point as she entered another clearing. But there were no Fallen in this one. It was empty. The mist clouded the ground and the tree branches hung low, like the forest was trying to swallow her. She lowered her rifle and walked forward slowly, scanning the outer trees for any activity. 

She expected movement from the edges so she visibly jumped when a giant portal opened up behind her. She spun around, rifle at the ready, but nothing came out of it. 

[O-kay? Giant, scary, portal? Traveler’s _light_ this can’t be good.] Iris moaned, his anxiety level matching his Guardians’. 

Amara exhaled loudly, not realizing she had been holding her breath in anticipation. She noticed her hands shaking and tried her best to calm down. Her frustration grew with her nervousness because every natural instinct she had was telling her to turn back, to run. 

But the feeling at the bottom of her stomach was screaming at her to go through. She ran a hand over her face and groaned in defeat as she stepped forward. 

She appears in yet, another clearing. But this one was massive. 

It held a large shallow pond of clear, almost glowing water. Multiple trails snaked around the edge of the pond where trees and foliage were thick, leading to their own part of the dark forest. 

In the middle stood the shard. It glowed and…hummed. Emitting a very low frequency that Amara could almost...feel. Iris flew out from her hood and sped towards the shard, causing Amara to run after him.

“Easy there bud, I don’t know if there are enemies around.” She tried to keep the worry out of her voice as she watched him hover, he almost hesitated. 

[I’m sorry ‘Mara. I’m just shocked at the...pureness of this. It’s almost like...when I first left the Traveler long ago. The light was so immaculate then. This shard isn’t as corrupted as we have previously heard.] His voice matched the flexing of his shell as he explained. 

Amara nodded silently, relieved that the light wasn’t tainted. For the first time in weeks, hope stirred inside her. 

She put her rifle on her back and walked forward to face the front of the shard. There were minor imperfections in what seemed like a normal white rock. The closer she stood, the more she felt the hum it emitted, causing goosebumps on her skin. She noticed hairline fractures in the shard that glowed with pure Light. 

Amara glanced up at Iris and they exchanged nods before she reached out to touch the rock. She hesitated for only a moment as the feeling in her stomach almost made her nauseous. 

The second her fingertips touched the rock, its glowing intensified. The shard was cool through her gloves, yet a feeling of warmth immediately spread through her. 

The longing feeling inside her was replaced with adrenaline as the familiar energy flowed through her, lifting her body off of the ground.

She placed her palms on the rock and the feeling of her light returning to her body caused her to inhale sharply as visions of Solar, Arc and Void energy flashed through her mind. Iris opened his shell next to her, absorbing his own portion of the light.

The feelings were all vaguely familiar but felt…somewhat different. Solar energy pushed ahead of the other two and she saw dim embers dance across her skin, instantly warming her. A grin spread across her face as the feelings came rushing back to her. 

The almost addictive, raw power of Solar energy filled her up. As her feet met the ground again she no longer felt weak nor cold or worthless. Her light was back! 

Nearby, she hears the sound of Taken portals opening. She looks up at Iris,  
“Are we good?” 

[Oh. We are so good. Go get ‘em ‘Mara!]

That was all she needed as she ran forward, letting the flames consume her.


	6. Titan

[They left for a reason ‘Mara.] Iris chirps from above Amara’s shoulder as she lounged on the large branch of a tree just outside of the farm. 

“Yeah. I know. Doesn’t mean I’m just gonna magically be okay with it.” She said shortly, spinning her knife between her fingers idly. 

[Oh, I completely agree. But, the attack took them, _took everyone_ , by surprise. It wasn’t long before the city was lost. They just couldn’t stop it. There was a better chance to retreat and regroup than stay and lose even more innocent lives.] Iris continued, his shell spinning slowly as he spoke. [And then the Cabal cut off everyone from the light, which no one even _knew_ that was possible...] Iris seemed to shudder at the memory. 

A quiet few minutes pass, Amara's mind wandering over the events of the last few weeks. She knew he was right, once she had the chance to take a step back and really look at everything, she realized her anger was out of line. Her emotions had been running high and she hadn’t been thinking clearly. It was better that the Vanguard left, even though she was still pissed about it. 

Then there was The Guardian. 

“Who is that Guardian? You know the one that also got their light back and set up the comms for the farm?” Amara asked, curiosity in her voice. 

[Not sure. They have caused quite a stir haven’t they? Promising their revenge on Ghaul himself.]

“But they’re not the only one who got their light back...” Amara noted. 

[There are actually quite a few who have found the light again. Why haven’t you done a high priority mission yet? You’ve hardly even told anyone that you’re powered up again.]

“Eh.” The redhead shrugged. “I’m not trying to show off. Or steal all the glory...” She finished quietly, biting her lip in concentration as she added a new flourish to her knife spin. 

[Are you scared?] The ghost asked, gently nudging her cheek. The knife halted it’s motions and Amara looked up at the early evening stars through the leaves, remaining quiet for a moment. 

“I’m terrified, Iris. Losing the light...fucked me up.” Her eyes wandered down to trace the blade of the knife on her fingers. “Not to mention what happened to Hannah...” she swallowed, “I still feel like...I could...actually die…” Her voice faded as a lump formed in her throat, but she quickly cleared it and shook her head to dispel the bad memory, “Hell. Maybe I should take a mission. Increase my confidence and distract myself.” 

[Well then, I have just the mission for you. Zavala is on Titan.]

Amara sat up from her lounging position, eyes widened with surprise at the first news of the Commander. “What? Titan? What’s on Titan?” 

[I guess we should go find out.] Iris spoke, his shell almost winking with his eye.

* * *

“FUCK this fucking moon!” Amara growls as she fights off a small group of Thrall. “Why did he have to be on Titan?” 

It was disgusting here. The liquid methane oceans, insane amount of Hive, and not to mention the walls and floors made absolutely repulsive squelching noises. 

The huntress empties a clip into a Hive knight that was charging her, finishing him off with a solar charged knife to the face. 

[ _Big guy up ahead ‘Mara..._ ] Iris says into their neural link. Amara isn’t worried as she deftly jumps down the large drop just as an Ogre comes crawling up the opposite wall. She smirks behind her helmet, her rocket launcher appearing in her hands. 

“One.” She counts aloud as the explosion echoes in the chamber. A quick dodge backwards as she reloads, avoiding the Void blasts from the creatures eye. 

“Two.” The redhead continues, throwing her tracking grenade as the rocket made contact with the Ogre. The enemy falls in a cloud of green and black ash and she nods her head once in satisfaction before continuing deeper into the Arcology. 

Retreating lower and lower into the catacombs, she gets closer to her target. An old CPU to help decrypt recent Cabal messages carrying important intel. She was more then happy to help with this particular mission, bringing ruin to the Red army was the motivation that kept her going. 

The huntress drops onto a dark floating platform in the depths of the moon. Nothing but glass walls keeping the deadly ocean at bay. 

She feels her heart beat faster in her chest as she watches a massive worm-like shadow swim slowly along the giant windows. Her stomach drops at the thought of having to fight something like that, honestly? She’d rather not. 

After watching the shadow disappear into the distance she chances a look down, the endless fall into the hazy depths only a few inches away from her. It’s time to get out of here. She turned her attention to the reason she’s here, the illuminated CPU floating before her.

_**Please** don’t alert the whole goddamn place once I pick this up..._

Amara takes a breath and removes the CPU, of course, the entire Arcology began glowing red and loud PA announcements almost drown out the screaming of the Hive, now alerted to her presence. 

“Fuuuck!” She sighs loudly as she begins running.  
[Well, there’s no way the Hive didn’t hear that alarm. We have the CPU, but we stirred up the entire Hive colony and it’s a long walk to the surface...] Iris says grimly over the comms.

The deafening screams from the Hive around her seemed to be getting closer as she ran. Commander Zavala urged her to hurry in her ear. 

_I’ve made it this far. I can finish this._

Suddenly, Iris gave her the best news she’d heard all week. 

[Keep running up the stairs, straight ahead is our ticket out of here.]  
The redhead cleared the distance quickly, turning the corner to see a tank. 

She’d never driven a tank before. 

“Good call, bud!” She said proudly as she approached the vehicle.

“If you can make it to the center of the Arcology, Amanda can get you out of there.” Zavala assured her.

“Yes sir. On my way.” Amara replied, quickly jumping onto the tank. “Come to mama.” The redhead murmured to herself with a grin as she climbed inside, Iris removed her helmet for her so she could view the controls. Excitement caused her hands to tremble slightly. 

Amara silently cheered with every group of Hive she ran over. The crusty creatures had always terrified her and plowing over all of them with a huge armored vehicle definitely gave her a bit of much needed joy. 

[This road leads to the center. Just a little farther and we’re out of here.] Iris informs her as she plowed through a rock wall. 

The darkened, Hive infested cavern opens up to a green tinted, artificial forest area. 

“I got eyes on ya ‘Mara. See you at the end of the road!” Amanda says over the comms just as Amara spots a ship hovering at the last platform. 

Home free.

* * *

“They call it... ‘The Almighty’. The crown jewel of the Red Legion and life’s work of their leader, Dominus Ghaul. Ghaul has subjugated hundreds of worlds. Those that resisted...No longer exist. You see, The Almighty, annihilates stars.” 

“Nothing- and no one- survives Ghaul’s ambition. What he wants, is the Traveler. And it’s light. As for The Almighty? It’s now pointed directly at our sun. In short, sir. The war is over. And we’ve lost.”

The words hit Amara like a truck. _We’ve lost. We’ve lost the War_. Amara walked away from Zavala and Sloane, her breathing shallow as she tried to wrap her head around the idea of a star killer. What the hell were they supposed to do now? 

Zavala’s small speech was somewhat helpful is rousing some of the hope she had before The-fucking-Almighty destroyed it. But taking a wide look at the task before them...she didn’t see how they could possibly win this. She had since forgotten about confronting Zavala on his decision to leave. The news at hand seeming a bit more important than her petty anger. 

Amara leans against the wall once out of eyesight of her Commander, she felt sick. Her knees stopped working and she slumped onto the metal ground, covering her face with her hands. 

First her light. Then Hannah. Getting her light back did help some, but her day spent with the Hive had her anxiety at an all time high. And now? Impending doom? 

_I can’t fucking do this._  
_[Amara. Listen to me.]_ Iris interrupts her thoughts.  
_Iris. I can’t. I can’t handle this._ Amara pulls her hands back, noticing wet spots on her gloves from the tears that overflowed.  
_[Amara. Yes. You can.]_  
_I can’t do it alone, Iris. I need help. I need someone! I just need fucking someone to talk to. I miss Hannah and my friends. I miss home. I’m tired of being cold and exhausted and useless._

Amara feels herself being transmatted to her ship as her breathing became ragged, which is probably for the best. She’d hate to have Zavala see her having a meltdown. 

After a few minutes pass and the tears stop flowing, Amara returns her ship to orbit. The distant stars always had a calming effect on her, though she never knew why. She wiped her cheeks and pulled her knees to her. Resting her chin on them as she took deep breaths. 

It wasn’t just the bad news of the day that pushed her over, but the fact that she hadn’t properly mourned yet. The fact that her home was destroyed and she hadn’t heard from her friends since the attack. Not even from Cayde-6. 

Six. 

Amara remembers the card she found on Hannah and pulled it out of a pocket on her chest. A Seven of Spades. Her and Cayde had been close friends ever since she was rezzed, he had Hannah train her and even showed her a few tricks himself. He never failed to make Amara laugh and always made sure she was safe. 

He was her best friend, if she was being honest. 

[What are you thinking about?] Iris asks suddenly as he appeared next to her, pulling Amara from her thoughts. 

“We need to find Six.” She murmured, holding back tears again.

[We’ll find him next then.] Iris assures her. He knew she needed to find him more for herself than for Zavala. It pained the little Ghost to see his Guardian so upset and him being hardly able to help. 

[He’s probably up to his usual shenanigans. But I’m sure he’s still safe, nothing could kill that old Exo.] Iris continues, his shell spinning quickly as a hint of a smile appeared on his Guardians face. 

“Yeah. I’m sure he’s fine.” Amara agreed, a quiet breathy laugh leaving her lips after a moment. 

Everything is gonna work out fine. You can do this. 

“Let’s get back to the Farm and make sure everything is alright there.” Amara announced, clearing her throat and becoming a Guardian again. “Does anyone have a lead on where Cayde may have ended up?”

[Not sure. But let’s ask around and see what we can find.]


	7. Six

Amara sat in the Captain’s chair in her jump ship, spinning her knife between her fingers with her feet lounging on a ledge in front of her. She was hovering just outside of Neptune’s orbit, looking for any odd signals of Cayde. She had just gotten back from the Shard of the Traveler again.

Something was weird about her renewed light this time around. It’s not that she wasn’t happy about getting her Void Bow back, but there was something that was bothering her. 

[Whatcha thinkin’ about?] Iris asks, sensing her unease.

“The light. I’ve gotten the Golden Gun and the Bow back, but it seems…different. Not to mention the intense pull towards Arc that I got this past time…” Amara shook her head, her brows knitting together for a moment. 

It was the same visions like before, each element flashed before her with only one coming forward for her to re-claim. The Arc called the loudest, but wouldn’t…cooperate. As weird as it sounds.

[I have noticed a slight change as well. I’m sure it’s just the difference in sources.] His shell spinning slowly as he spoke. 

A sudden ping interrupted her train of idle thought, a signal from a nearby source, Amara sat up quickly in her chair.

Finally. Word on the Exo’s location? A seemingly empty part of space, blasting a distress signal out in all directions. Knowing Cayde, he’d probably gotten himself into a bit of trouble. 

“Is it Six?” Amara asked, hopeful. 

[Yes. It is.] Iris asked, his shell almost smiling. 

Amara had done her fair share of space exploration on her own, but she’d never seen out this direction. This sector of the sky was empty, at least, to their understanding. So where the hell is this signal coming from?

[Up ahead, there’s a Centaur. The orbit is, of course, off kilter and there are no large signs of organic life. But there’s no denying, something is sending that signal from there.]

“That’s weird. What would Cayde be doing on an unstable centaur this far out? It doesn’t make sense…Centaurs are empty, nothing forms on them, they’re too small.” Amara says quietly as she holsters her knife, her face scrunching in confusion.

[This one does seem to have some size to it. I guess there’s no harm in checking it out.] Iris notes as he puts in the coordinates to the minor planet.

“I guess. Lets go have a look.” Amara responds, pushing her ship full speed ahead.

* * *

[So much for nothing being here. Let’s get to high ground so I can pinpoint Cayde’s location.]

The planet was covered in towering trees with lush red vegetation, alien birds roamed the skies and familiar architecture explained how a signal could even leave the atmosphere. The Vex. 

Amara’s feet landed on a towering metal construct, “Well, I’ll be damned.” She leaned over the edge, taking in the scenery around her, noticing a crashed ship below.

_Geez. What an idiot. What the hell is here for you, Cayde?_

Enjoying the free-fall down the Vex construct, she summoned Iris to her palm as she landed.

[Tracking Cayde’s signal now. I think I’m getting something!] His blue beam spread around the area as the distress signal played.

“In over my head!” It was Cayde, but she could barely hear him over the static. “Vex trap!” _Oh no_. “Failsafe?” Failsafe?

“Cool. Vex trap. Thanks Six. Also. What is a ‘Failsafe’?” Amara asked Iris who seemed to shrug. “Let’s check out the ship, it probably has an answer to at least one of those questions.”

Making her way over to the crashed vehicle, Amara found the beacon relaying the message. Iris took a quick scan.

{Hello! Are you here to rescue the Cayde-6?} A cheery female voice asked. Guardian and Ghost exchanged a look.

[You’re…not…Cayde.] Iris said pointedly. 

{The Cayde-6 is currently caught in a Teleportation loop. He’s over there. Oop! Now he’s over there. Oop!} Amara bit back a chuckle with a cough as the voice explained.

“Well. Way to make it complicated, ‘the Cayde-6’.” She said, mimicking her with a smirk.

{I can help you! **But I’m gonna be super unpleasant about it**.}

The voice was…two separate…people? One super cheery, the other...not so much. 

[I’m sorry?—What?] Iris asked, the two exchanging glances again, though Amara’s blue eyes were bright with amusement.

{I have uploaded his coordinates to you! **Against my better judgement**.}

[Uuhh. O-kay?] Iris said, his eye scowling at his charge who was holding back laughter. 

After a few moments of light jogging in the direction the voice provided, she spoke again.

{May I help you with anything else?}

[Yeah. Are…you okay? You sound a little off?] Iris quickly asked, taking the words from Amara mouth. 

{I am the Exodus Black’s failsafe. You can call me Failsafe. I boosted the Cayde-6’s signal in hopes he would be rescued. And look! Here you are!}

[Oh! I see! She’s just an AI.]

“A malfunctioning AI.” Amara finished with a smirk.

{ **I heard that**.}

“Oops.” Amara said with a quiet snort. 

{At your service!}

After jumping down a creepy hole and admiring the local fauna, a familiar voice led Amara to the reason she was here. Cayde, suspended within a Vex portal.

“Six!”

“Someone there?! Look, don’t ask me how this happened- I don’t have time to explain what I don’t have time to understand!” 

And before she could say another word, he was gone. 

“Dammit. He didn’t even realize it was m-“ Before Amara could finish, Vex portals began opening around her. 

{Warning! The Vex will vaporize you!}

After a brief fire fight with use of her new tether, Amara continued.

[So. Failsafe? What exactly happened here?] Iris asked.

{The Cayde-6 attempted to manipulate the Vex portal system. He is now trapped in a non linear loop.} Failsafe explained. {In my defense, I tried to warn him. **He’s, like, not that smart.** }

Amara immediately lost all composure at the AI’s quip. Multiple memories of the Exo doing dumb shit coming to her, giving her a much needed brief laugh. 

“Ohhhh shit. Failsafe. We’re gonna be great friends.” Amara said, wiping her eyes.

[This is not going well.]

After learning more about Failsafe and her super dead Captain, Amara ventured further into Nessus. Eliminating another group of Vex and avoiding a _very_ long fall, she came upon the Vex gate. Failsafe assured them they would not be trapped and she finally made her way through. A hop, skip, jump, and another fall down a creepy hole later, Amara found herself on a stage of sorts.

“Hey! Hey! Over here! Get me outta here!” Cayde yelled from his suspended position over the edge, a huge Vex Hydra appearing just behind him. A few annoying comments from Cayde and 4 rockets later, Amara made her way over to her Vanguard. 

“C’mon. Hurry! I don’t know how long this portal’s gonna stick.”

“Cayde.” Amara tried to stop him.

“Stop. Stop-stop-stop. Look, look. Long story- and it may look like I don’t know what I’m doing- ‘kay, maybe I don’t- doesn’t matter.”

“Cayde…” Amara continued, crossing her arms, biting back a grin under her helmet. 

“Killing the power source at the origin should break the loop and get me out of the portal system.” The Exo spoke animatedly, using his whole body to speak. “Have you got that? Say you got that! Say something!” Cayde asked desperately. 

Amara moved to open her mouth to call him an idiot but Iris answered for her, [Yes! Cayde, we got it! Now how did-?]

“Oh my _cotton socks_! Did you not hear what I just said?!” The exo interrupted, before disappearing once again. 

Amara removed her helmet, smirk on her lips. 

[So, this is why they don’t like him leaving the tower?] Iris asked, sarcasm thick in his voice. Amara just laughed. 

She was happy he was safe and unharmed, though making sure he got out of the teleportation loop alive did worry her, she was in over her head here. It was her job to make sure this idiot got home safe, and dammit, she was gonna make sure of it. 

“Failsafe. Do you know where the power source to this Vex teleporter is? I need to cut the power to get him out of it.” Amara asked, hoping the AI knew where it was. 

{Yes! I can guide you there!}

A long sparrow ride to the next location, lengthy fight with the Vex and one too many deaths in radiolaria later, the Vex teleporter was finally shut down. 

“Yes! I’m out baby! Wooo!” Cayde cheered over the comms.

“Six?! Where are you?” Amara asked, finally able to grab the Exo’s attention.

“Amara? No way, is that you?” The hunter vanguard asked, a tone of hope in his voice.

“Yep. Been me the whole time, dumbass.” The redhead replied with a smile. “Where are you?”

A quiet chuckle left the Exo, “Man, am I happy to hear from you. And I’m…uhh…w-where am I?”

_Traveler’s light, he’s hopeless._

{Cayde Unit. You are near the remains of my reactor core. Welcome to the Exodus Black. **Where all your dreams come true**.}

“Sit tight, Six. I’m on my way.” Amara assured, running towards a new set of coordinates.

“Yes ma’am. Seems like you met my new friends, Failsafe and her evil twin, Failsafe.” Amara chuckled at his perfect description.

[Which is the evil one?] Iris asked quietly with genuine concern in his voice. 

{If I had feelings, they would be hurt.}

“C’mon bud, that was rude.” Amara teased, poking the little light, grinning when the ghost floated out of reach, his shell pouting. 

“Uh oh. The Fallen’s got the Vex in a tizzy. And by tizzy, I mean, murderous rampage. I’ll hunker down in the Exodus Black.”

“Yes. Stay there.” Amara agreed. Approaching the top of a hill to see a giant Vex Gatelord blocking her path. 

“Dammit. Failsafe, they’re shootin’ at me!”

{Then I advise you not get shot.}

“I’m with her on this one. Just. Stay alive.” Amara pressured, reloading her rocket launcher. 

“Hey. You probably wanna hustle. I think they just said something bout ripping my beautiful horn off my face? My beautiful, beautiful horn? Then again, my Eliksni is pretty rusty.”

“Ppffffftt. Shut up Six. I’m trying to kill shit.” Amara laughed, ducking to avoid fire from a Hobgoblin. 

The Gatelord fell and Amara made her way into the next part of the Exodus Black. Wreckage surrounded a shallow pond and she could hear the Fallen ahead of her. A blue shield was put up over the entrance to where she assumed Cayde and Failsafe were. 

[Let’s clear ‘em out ‘Mara.] Iris said with an excited bounce. She gave a nod in agreement and ran forward. 

One ridiculously long and painful fight later, and a little bit of fun with a scorch cannon, Failsafe lowered the shield. 

{You have saved us! Updating my crew log. New captain registered. Welcome aboard, Captain!}

“Aww. Thanks Failsafe.” Amara was touched by the AI’s acceptance as she made her way into the chamber. She expected to see Six sitting on the step or leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest accompanied by some witty comment. 

But instead he’s hiding. 

Amara waved to his ghost with a smile before he stood. Walking towards her as she tossed him the Vex teleportation device. 

“So it’s true. The light found it’s way back to you.” His optics narrowed slightly as he caught it. 

“How did you know? I didn’t say anything about it...” she narrowed her eyes right back at him a smirk soon following. “Are you-?”

“Not that I’m jealous or nothin’,” the Exo quickly interrupted, “Just take it easy out there, will ya? You’re making me look bad.” Cayde chuckled quietly. 

Amara smiles but her curiosity is killing her, “What the hell were you going to do with a Vex teleporter, Six?”

Cayde leaned down to fiddle with the teleporter, maybe he did have a plan, “Get up close and personal with Ghaul. Put a bullet in his head.” He paused. “Then maybe eat a sandwich...Of course we gotta work through a few kinks first.” 

Amara placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head, “Six, you can’t do this alone.”

“The hell I can’t. OW!” Something shocked the Exo inside the device, creating sparks. 

Amara was taken aback by his statement. Normally, he praises teamwork. A mission this big and dangerous can’t be done alone. And especially by someone who doesn’t have any light. 

“They have a star destroyer, Six. And it’s already pointed directly at our sun.” Amara explained, a bit more curtly then she intended. 

[Zavala has a plan, he needs you Cayde.] Iris interjected, backing up his charge. 

“Yeah, Zavala always _says_ he has a plan but-wait. _Zavala_ said he needs me.” He questioned, drawing out each word. 

Amara huffed and rolled her eyes. 

“As in you heard those _exact words_ coming out of his mouth?” Cayde continued animatedly. 

[Yes, we did.] Iris said, unamused. 

“Please tell me you recorded it?!” The Exo begged. The deadpan look Amara gave him was good enough of an answer. “Well. Did Ikora at least hear it?”

[Zavala lost her after the city fell. We don’t know where she is…] 

Cayde became somber at this news. Amara remembered, Zavala and Ikora were members of his fireteam. He’s worried about them and covering it up with humor. Classic Six. 

“Io. Io, it’s where she’d go to look for answers.” The Exo began walking away. 

“I’m glad you’re okay, Six.” Cayde stopped and looked at her as her voice wavered. “A lot...has happened and...I needed my friend.” Amara managed a smile and looked in his optics. “I’m just...happy you’re alive.”

“Hey.” His voice softened and he turned to face her. “You know it’ll take more than a Vex teleportation loop to kill this ol’ hunk of metal. Eyes up Guardian.” His face plates raised in a smile. “Oh. And. Um. Thanks for saving my ass. I owe you one.”

Amara grinned, “Damn right you do. C’mon, lets get you home.”


	8. Seven of Spades

Amara breathed deeply as she sat on the tin roof near the Hunter Vanguards new perch at the farm. Cayde-6 had found his way next to her, sitting quietly as the huntress told her Vanguard what had happened to Hannah. She picked at the vines that had overgrown as she recalled the events. 

“Shit.” Cayde murmured. “I never thought I’d lose Hannah. She was a damn good Hunter.”

Amara tried to take a steadying breath, keeping tears at bay in front of her boss. She gently pulled the Seven of Spades from a pocket on her chest armor, handing Cayde the card. 

“I got this from her cloak. Figured you’d know something about it.” She gave him a small smile, quickly looking away to rub the tears from her eyes. 

She felt a gloved hand on her shoulder, “Hannah was one of my best. I was worried when I didn’t hear from her after the attack.”

Amara glances over to see the Exo looking down at the roof they were sitting on as he spoke. “I then expected to hear from you, but I guess a rescue was a little better.” Cayde glanced over to her, giving her shoulder a squeeze. 

The Exo reached into his own chest armor. Pulling out a playing card that was an exact replica of Hannah’s, a card from the same deck. 

The Ace of Spades. 

“Of course.” A breathy laugh left her lips. “Do all your Scouts have an alias from the deck?” Amara asked curiously. 

“Nah. They choose their own. Hannah chose the Seven of Spades. Though she never did tell me why.” The Exo looked up at the evening stars. 

The pair sat quietly for a moment. 

Cayde suddenly slapped his gloved hand to his knee, spooking Amara. “I’ve got an idea!” He practically cheered.

“What?” Amara questioned, smirk on her lips. 

“Take her place!” Cayde looked at her, his blue optics bright. 

Amara’s eyes widened. “W-What?” 

“Become one of my Scouts. You can be the new Seven of Spades in her honor.” His faceplates were raised in an Exo smile. 

Amara was stunned. She didn’t expect this, much less for Six himself to suggest it so suddenly. 

“A-Are you sure? I-I mean, do you think I-?”

“Of course I’m sure! You were practically trained to be one. I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t absolutely confident in your ability.” Cayde’s hand found her shoulder again. “Will you be one of my Scouts, Amara?”

“Yes.” The word came out before she could even think it through. Her job suddenly became so much more important, more dangerous. And she was ecstatic. “I would love too, Six!” She finished with a red lipped smile. 

“Excellent!” Cayde finished with a ruffle to her red hair. He handed back the Seven of Spades card and Amara tucked it back into her armor. 

“Alright, Spades, let’s get to it!”


	9. Hope

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is coming to a close! Maybe one or two chapters left. Thanks for hanging with me! <3 Come visit me on tumblr for more Amara!

The Taken portal stands before Amara. Dark and menacing as always, though her footsteps do not waver.

She appears in the same clearing as she did before. The glowing shallow pond and eerie tree line all surrounding the Shard of the Traveler in the center. 

Iris appears next to her as she approaches the shard, the familiar energy humming through the air. 

As her fingertips made contact with rock, her eyes closed and she saw visions of powerful lightning raining from the sky as the new light entered her. 

_Finally._

It felt like home. This new Arc energy, perfectly balanced within her. She had immediate control, bending the light to her will as the Staff of pure lighting appeared in her hand. Sparks covered her body, warming her.

It was exactly how if felt before she lost her light, but she was now aligned with Arc instead of Void, she felt powerful again. She felt lethal. Nothing was going to hold her back now.

* * *

Amara watched as Cayde pulled the trigger, his frame leaning into the rifle as his shoulder absorbed the impact. It was kind of cool seeing him behind a sniper, he’d trained his body for decades prior, bragged about his skill on many occasions.

At least he wasn’t lying. 

Cayde wanted to do some shooting, Amara was more than happy to oblige. It was kind of weird having her best friend as her boss, but it didn’t change much. She actually kind of enjoyed being one of his Scouts. It made her feel like she was doing more as a Guardian. 

“You know you only ever shut up when you pull the trigger.” Amara smirked at her teasing.

Cayde chuckled, “Oh, I can keep talking if you’d like me too. But my aim won’t be as good.” His faceplates raised in a smile as he handed her rifle back to her.

Amara snorted quietly, shaking her head. She looked through her scope, checking where his shot landed. Center of the target, of course.

“So, how much am I winning by?” The Exo asked, voice cocky as he sat up from his laying position.

“Hmmmm…Actually, Six…” Amara’s eyes narrowed as a she broke the bad news. “You’re down by 5 right now.”

“WHAT?”

“Yup. Sorry big guy.”

“How?!” He asked animatedly.

“Well, you have been cooped up in the tower for the past few years. Those joints must be getting rusty.” She teased, nudging him as she tried to hide her grin. 

She was surprised too, honestly.

“Ah. Fuck.” He cursed, shaking his head, “Let me go again.” Cayde attempted to take the rifle out of her hands. 

“Ah Ah.” Amara tutted, pulling away from him. “It’s my turn!” Amara took her position, laying comfortably on her stomach as she found her target a couple hundred meters ahead among the brush. She jumped when Iris appeared next to her suddenly.

[Cayde! Ikora is back!] his shell spun excitedly as he alerted the Vanguard.

“Damn. That Guardian is fast. Let them know I’m on my way.” He responded to the ghost.   
“I have a funny feeling I’m going to be in a meeting for the next few hours.” He told Amara, “Don’t go too far, Spades, I’ll brief you when it’s over.” The Exo stood.

“Are we going to take back the city?” Amara asked quickly, hope in her voice. Was this war almost over?

“Damn right we are.” Cayde said proudly, before turning back towards the farm.

Amara grinned herself, pride filing her, “Damn right we are.”


End file.
